Combined magneto and battery switch for electric igniters.



A. J. STUDNIOKA & G. W. CAMPBELL. COMBINED MAGNETO AND BATTERY SWITCHFOR ELECTRIC IGNITERS. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 18, 1908. 957,270.Patented May 10, 1910.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 1.

. 22 7 3K F::;%9 /M 01 I YE El PED- WI UW Q7M *ZW E WMM' A. J. STUDNIGKA& O. W. CAMPBELL.

COMBINED MAGNETO AND BATTERY SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC IGNITERS. APPLICATIONFILED NOV.1B,\1908.

957,270. Patented May 10, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

Z .24 2 i WI 29 W hr I VE By HE im- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT J'. STUDNICKA. AND CHARLES W. CAMPBELL, OF MINNEAPOLIS,MINNESOTA.

COMBINED MAGNETO AND BATTERY SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC IGNITERS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT J. S'rUDNIoKA and CHARLES \V. CAMPBELL,citizens of the United States, residing at Minnea olis, in the county ofHennepin and State 0' Minnesot'a, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Combined Magneto and Battery-Switches for ElectricIgniters; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to ignition mechanism for explosive engines andhas for its especial ob ect the provision of improved switch mechanismfor rendering either a battery or a magneto operative at will throughthe same sparking lugs.

To theabove en s the invention consists of the novel devices andcombination of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

As is well known, it has become the practice to use both battery andmagneto to supply the s arking current to explosive engines, but it hasbeen considered necessary to employ different sets of sparking plugsbecause it is impossible to connect two circuits to a sparking plug atthe same time.

Our invent-ion rovides an improved switch, which is a apted for useeither in connection with a single cylinder or a multiproved switchcylinder explosive engine and by means of which, when the battery isthrown into ac tion the magneto is thrown out of action, preferably byopenin the sparking circuit of said magneto and s ort-circuiting thearmature circuit-thereof through a portion of the battery circuit. Thedynamo, when its sparking circuit is thus opcnedand its armatureshort-circuited, will not, of course, generate current.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referrmg to the rawings, Figure 1 is a digrammatic view illustrating ourinvention connected to a multi-cy'linder engine. Figs. 2 and 8 are planviews of'the imtproved switch. Fig. 4 is a plan view of e imwith theupper head thereof Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 10, 1910.

Application filed November 18, 1908. Serial No. 463,167.

]removed, and Fig. 5 shows the improved switch partly in elevation andpartly 1n vertical section.

The numeral 1 indicates a multircylinder explosive engine, equipped withfour sparkin plugs 2, one for each cylinder.

he numeral 3 indicates the magneto, the field of which is grounded onthe engine and is provided with four secondary contacts.

The numeral 5 indicates a battery and the numeral 6 indicates a sparkingcoil inclosing case as an entirety.

The parts so far described may be treated as of standard, well-knownconstruction and arrangement, the said sparking coil being, as indicatedby the wiring thereof, what is known as a separate unit vibratory coil.

Our improved switch preferably has a cylindrical case or body 7 ofvulcanized rubber, wood fiber or other suitable insulating material andit is provided at its'upper end with a detachable head 8 of'similarinsulatinggmaterial.

otatively mounted within and extended axially through the case 7 is ashaft 9 of the insulating material, preferably such as above indicated.This shaft has reduced ends 10.

.It constitutes trunnions, generally one in the upper and one in thelower head of said case. This shaft 9, for the four cylinder engineshown, is provided with four metal contact segments 11, the hubs ofwhich are readily secured to said shaft. These segmental contact-s arecompletely insulated from each other and they are preferably locatedvertically one over the other. At its up said shaft 9 is provided with aradia ly projecting lever 12 that works through a suitable slot in thecase 7 and the hub of which is formed. witha segmental compact flange18.

The lever 12 on itsupper surface carries a air of contacts 14 and 15,which, when said lever is positioned, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, engagesthe impending ends of contacts 16 and 17 applied to the top 8 of thecase. A pair of binding posts 18 and 19 are also apphed to the said'casetop 8. The said binding post 19 is primarily connected by wire 20 to thecontact 16 and the binding post 18 is connected to one end of a s ringcontact arm 21, the free end of which a ways er end,-

maintains contact with the segmental flange 13 or said lever 12. Forcooperation with each contact segment 11, the case 7 is provided in itssides wlth three contacts, 22, 23 and 24, which contacts are alforded bybinding posts with inwardly projecting extremi-.

ties.

In the construction illustrated, the contact segments 11 extend throughapproximately ninety degrees and hence the contacts 22 and 24 arelocated diagrammatically opposite to each other and the contact 23 islocated midway between the two. .VVith, this construction, the contactsegments 11 may be moved, as shown in Fig. 2,. so as to connect thecontacts 22 and 23, or they may be moved as the sparking coil areconnected by wires 27 to the contacts 22. The contacts23 are connectedby wires 28, one to each offlthe spark ing plugs 2. The secondaryeontacts'4 of the magneto 3 are connected by wires 29, one to each ofthe contacts 24. A wire 30 connects the contact 17 to the. otherterminal of the battery 5. The binding post 18 is connected y Wire 31 tothe engine frame; and the armature of the magneto 3 is connected by wire32 to the binding post 19. f

In practice, a suitable timer or distributor will, of course, be used toregulate the amount of lead which will be given to the sparks producedin the several cylinders in respect to several pistons.

The operation of the ignition mechanism above described, briefly stated,is as follows: When the battery is-to be used to supply the sparkproducing current, the lever 12 will be set in the position indicated inFigs. 2, 4 and 5. When thus set, the'current will flow from the batteryas follows: through the wire 25, the primary or sparking coil 6 and thewire 26 to the frame of the enginel, from thence through wire 31,binding post 18, contact arm 21, segmental flange 13-and lever 12 to.contact 14 of said lever, and from thence through contact 17 and wire 30back to the said battery 5. The current induced in the secondary of thesparking coil will flow through wires 27 to contacts 22, thence throughsegmental switch contacts 11 to contacts 23 and from thence throughwires 28 to the respective sparkingplugs usually un-' der control oftimer not shown.- One of the electrodes of each sparking plug will, ofcourse, be connected to the engine frame and hence this induced current,as well as the primary of the battery current will finally return to thebattery through the wire 31,

cylinder explosive engines,

binding post 18, spring contact 21, lever 11, contacts 14 and. 17and'wire, 30. When the said parts are adjusted as above stated, thearmature of the, magneto .3 will he short-circuitedthrough the wire 32,binding post 19, wire 20, contacts =-16-and 15, lever 12, its flange 13,s ring contact 21, binding post 18, wire 3l an the frame of the engine,it being understood, of course, that one side of the armature ofthe'm'agneto 3 is customarily grounded through the said engine frame. Atthis time, it will-also be notedthe sparking circuit of the magnetoarmature is broken because. there is .no connection between the contacts23 and 24, to which the Wires 28 and-29, respectively, are connected.Hence, when the battery is in action, the magneto is cut out of action.When the magneto is to be thrown into actionand the battery cut out ofaction, the contact segments 11,,- by means of the lever 12, are

moved into the position indicated at Fig. 3. When the parts'arethusadjusted, the bat tery circuit is broken because there is no electricalconnection between. the contacts 22 and 23 to which the wires 27 and28*,respectively, areconnected, and at this time the magneto circuitsare closed as follows: from the secondary contacts 4 through wires 29 tocontacts 24, thence through the segmental switch con-tacts 24, thencethroughthesegmental switch contacts 11 to contacts 23 and from thencethrough the wires 28 to the respective sparking plugs 2.

at we claim 1s- I 1. In anignition mechanism for multicylinder'explosive engines, a single sparking plug for each-cylinder, a'battery,a magneto, a common switch, a sparking coil having a multiplicity ofsecondary wires extending to said common switch, magneto secondary wiresalso extending to said common switch, secondary plug wires extendingfrom sald switch to the several sparking plugs, a primarysparking'circuit including said battery and saidcommon switch, and aprimary magneto circuit including said common switch, substantiallyas'described.

2. In an ignition mechanism for multia single sparking plug for eachcylinder, a battery, a magneto,

a common switch having a multiplicity of.

fixed and a multiplicity ofmovable contacts, a sparking coil having .amultiplicity of secondary wires extending to-fixed contacts of saidswitch, magneto secondary wires con-' necting said magneto to otherfixed contacts 'ofsaid common switch, secondary plug wires connectingthe several sparking plugs to still other fixed contacts of said commonswiteh,a primary sparking circuit including said'battery and saidcommonswitch, and a primary magneto circuit including said commonswitch, the fixed and movable con cuit and break the secondary magnetocir- 10 tacts of said common switch being so related cuits.

that, in one position, they will close the sec- In testimony whereof weaffix our signaondary magneto circuits to said sparking tures inpresence of two witnesses.

plugs and break the primary magneto cir- ALBERT J. STUDNIGKA. cuit andthe primary and secondary s'park- CHARLES WV. CAMPBELL, ing coilcircuits, and in another position will Witnesses:

close the primary and secondary sparking HARRY D. KILGORE,

coil circuits and the primary-magneto cir- F. D. MERCHANT.

